“Just watching my cats can make me happy.”
Paula Cole, singer-songwriter
Cats are lovely pets. A feline napping on a soft blanket, playing with its favorite toy or rubbing up against its owner’s leg makes a lovely picture. But if you have a pet cat, it’s also your responsibility to take care of its health.
To keep your feline friend healthy, it’s important to make sure it’s got strong immunity.
Just like the human immune system, your cat’s immune system is a complex system that keeps your pet healthy year-round. A healthy immune system protects your cat against all sorts of invaders, including viruses, bacteria, microbes, parasites, and toxins.
If your cat has low immunity, it has a greater risk of suffering from different health problems. So, to help protect your pet, you need to take steps to build your cat’s immunity.
Here are some of the ways to build your cat’s immunity.
1. Provide a Healthy Diet
Just like humans, cats need good nutrition to build up their immune system.
Feed your cat a well-balanced, nourishing diet full of vitamins and minerals to build his immunity. The food should be rich in proteins. Try protein-rich foods that have high volumes of amino acids. Proteins are crucial to building and maintaining immune system strength.
Also, make sure your cat’s diet is low in carbohydrates to reduce the risk of becoming overweight.
You can even try commercial cat foods that contain all the nutrients that your pet needs. For a quality cat food, consult your vet and always feed your pet according to its size.
You can also consider adding supplements to your cat’s diet to improve its health. Always talk to your vet before putting your pet on any supplement.
2. Ensure Easy Access to Drinking Water
Sufficient water intake is important for cells to function properly and to keep the immunity in good shape. Adequate water intake also helps flush harmful toxins out of the body.
So, consider your cat’s water needs as important as its food. Your cat can’t just go and fill a glass with drinking water, so it’s up to you to make sure that drinking water is readily available.
This will also ensure your cat drinks small quantities frequently.
3. Lower the Stress Level
Your cat can also suffer from stress. High stress can lower your cat’s bodily defenses, so you need to take steps to keep your cat’s stress level to a minimum.
Maintain a safe and caring environment, so that your cat does not feel lonely or stressed. Do not take your cat to overcrowded places, as it can raise the stress level.
Also, poor sanitation and poor ventilation increases exposure to pathogens and puts stress on your cat’s system. Keep the surrounding area clean, as we all know that cats hate living in unhygienic environments.
Most importantly, treat your cat as a family member, giving him love and care.
4. Get Regular Exercise
Like a good diet, regular exercise is important for your cat’s immune system. Exercise also reduces the risk of becoming overweight, which can lower your cat’s defense mechanism.
Cats that spend a lot of time outdoors engaged in hunting, playing and exploring are less prone to have weak immunity.
When indoors, engage your cat in playing with toys to get exercise.
5. Add Apple Cider Vinegar to the Food
If your cat has weak immunity, feed him a little apple cider vinegar. There are several nutrients in it that help boost your cat’s immunity to fight off any kind of infection including cystitis and urinary tract infections in cats.
You can mix raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar into your cat’s food, depending on the weight of your cat. Cats weighing:
- 15 to 20 pounds should be given ½ teaspoon daily.
- 7 to 14 pounds should be given ¼ teaspoon daily.
- 4 to 6 pounds should be given ⅛ teaspoon daily.
- Less than 4 pounds should be given 5 drops daily.
6. Avoid Using Steroids and Antibiotics
While steroids and antibiotics may be important to administer in certain cases, excess use of antibiotics can have a negative effect on the immune system.
Excessive use of antibiotics tends to destroy the immune system, as it indiscriminately kills both good as well as bad bacteria. Plus, it may cause the bacteria to become increasingly antibiotic-resistant, thus reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics.
For treating any feline illness, look for a more holistic approach rather than going for steroids and antibiotics. Your vet or fellow cat lovers may be able to recommend holistic options.
7. Don’t Use Chemical Treatments
It is common for cats to suffer from ticks or fleas, especially if they spend time outdoors. To handle such problems, owners often end up buying some shampoo or other chemical-based product.
Use of such commercial products in excess can harm your cat’s immunity. The chemicals in them are often harmful for your cat’s health and can cause several side effects.
So when trying to get rid of fleas, look for natural options. Moreover, maintain hygiene by regularly bathing your pet with natural soap and shampoo, vacuuming your home thoroughly and frequently, and keeping your cat in a clean environment.